Trousers stretcher and hanger



(No Model.)

J. A. TRAUT. TROUSERS STRETOHBR AND HANGER.

No. 445,099. Patented Jan. 20,1891.

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.IUSTL'S A. TRAU'I, ()F NIHV BRITAIN, (ONNEC'lICVlh TROUSERS STRETCHER AND HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,099, dated January 20, 1891.

Application filed June 17, 1890- Serial NO. 355,734;- (NO Infidel-l To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUs'rUs A. TRAUT, a citizen of the United States. residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Trousers Stretchers and Hangers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to supporters or 'stretchers for holding in shape and hanging 4: is a view similar to Fig, o of the more com- "plete form of supporter shown in Figs. 2 and E) and illustrates the mode of using the same. In this figure there is also shown a further improvement, consisting of means for supporting one said device, and also a second one on said first one. Fig. 5 is an edge view of that portion of the supporter which is at the left hand of the line a (1-, Fig. l, as seen in the direction of the arrow. In this figure is shown a second and similar supporter I), hanging 011 a hook carried by the .tirst supporter. Fig. 6 is a top view of the upper partof the device shown in Fig. 4. above the line Z1 Z1.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.

The more simple form ot' my improvements (shown in Fig. 1) consists of a handle constituting a spring and having oppositely-disposed outwardlyextending arms, carrying clamp -bars or pressure -bars pivoted to the outer ends of said arms, respectively. Said handle and spring consists of the coil of wire 2, whose ends 3 and 5 extend downwardly, substantially as shown, in the same general direction, and at 7 and 9 respectively turn outward to form the pressure bar carrying arms 4 and 6, to which arms are pivoted at 8 and 10, respectively, the pressure-bars 12 and 11 for engaging on the inner surfacc ot' the trousers. 'lhcsc bars, as shown in the drawings, are formed of short metal rods, usually provided with corrugations, as 13 13, for curing proper adhesion to the surface of the materials bearing thereon. Said bars 12 and 14: extend both upwardly and downwardly from the arms a and 6, thus bringing the lower part of the handle -bars 3 and 5 much below the line 15 of the upper end oi'said pressurebars and forming the han dspaces S S between the handle-bars and pressure-bars, thereby enabling the operator to grasp said handlebars much below said line 15. By this means an instrument of sufficient range or capacity is provided having a very short vertical height, so that when inserted in the trousersleg the loop 2, by which the device may be suspended from a hook, extends to a short distance only above the upper line 15 of the garment. This construction is also desirable for the reason that it gives to the device a greater degree of elasticity with a given weight of material therein, thereby increz'ising its utility and reducing its cost.

ll orstillfurthcr increasing the aforesaid teatures of the device, I make said device, in its preferred form, in the manner shown in Figs. 1- to 5, inclusive,wherein the arms 3 and 5 are carried outward and backward, thus forming the depending curved arms 21 and 20, respectively, and bringing the pivots S and 10 con sidcrably above the lower end of the handlebars 3 and 5, and bringing the loop 2 nearer the line of the upper ends of the pressure-bars than in the form of device shown in Fig. 1, therebyshortening the length of said handlebars; also, this improved construction of the handle bars and ontreaching arms makes available the elasticity of the entire length of those pairs of arms, whereas in the former dcvice (shown in Fig. 1) the elasticity of the outreaching arms 1 and G is substantially new tralizcd, and is of no utility, owing to the strain being longitudinally of the said outreaching parts. In Fig. 8 the entire length of the wire, not only in the loop 2, but also throughout the length between said loop and the pivot 10 is available for elasticity, thus utilizing the same most completely and to the best advantage.

In using this device the user grasps the ham dle-bars 2:3 and by one hand, as indicated. by dotted lines in Fig. 4-, and closes together said bars, thereby bringing the points thereof toward each other in position for entering the open end 30 of the trousers-leg 40. (Also shown by dotted lines in said figure.) Having inserted the device the length of the pressurebars, the user allows the handle-bars to expand by the force of, their own elasticity together with the elasticity of the spring-loop 2, thus allowing the pressure-bars to come to the lines 32 3%, representing the edges of the trousers-leg, when the instrument will stand substantially in the position shown in Fig. 3. hen thus put in place, the corrugations 13 bear against the fabric with sufficient force, the size of the wire being suitable therefor to hold up the weight of the Suspended garment.

For suspending the supporter, together with the garment thereon, upon a hook, and more especially upon a pole, I provide the supporter with a hook, as 42, attached to the loop 2, and for carrying a second supporter on the first one I also form an additional hook 44, carried on said loop 2, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 6, wherein the letter D designates said second supporter in a general way. The hook 42 is shown formed of a wire bent back upon itself, and whose two parts 25 and 27 extend downward to the upper end of the loop 2, which they encircle at 29 31, one of said ends or parts 27 of said hook-loop passing down and being fastened at to the lower side of said spring-loop 2, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The other end 25 of said hook-loop, after passing around the upper side of the springloop 2 at 29, reaches outwardly and upwardly to form the hook 44 for carrying said second device D. By means of this construction it is made convenient to use my improved supporter in pairs, one of the pair being supported upon the other. By this means each device may be separately placed in the garment and afterward one hooked upon the other, when bot-h may be suspended together by the hook 42, thus providing a convenient and effective arrangement, meeting all re quirements of actual use.

For convenience in manufacturing the device and in securing the hook 42 thereto, the end of said hook, after passing around the upper end of the spring-loop 2, is llattened,as shown in Figsd and 5,so as to more securely and more readily fasten the same to the lower side of said 1oop2 by swaging or other analogous process.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a-trousers stretcher and hanger, the combination, with the spring-loop and with the handle-bars extending therefrom and carrying pressure=bars, of the hook-loop carried on the spring-loop and having two hooks, one for suspending the stretcher and hanger and the other for receiving a duplicate stretcher and hanger, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a trousers stretcher, and hanger, the combination, with the spring-loop and with handle-bars extending therefrom and carrying pressure-bars at the ends thereof, of a supporting-hook, substantially as described, engaging one side of said spring-loop and extending to and fastened to the opposite side of said loop.

3. In a trousers stretcher and hanger, the combination, with a spring-loop and handlebars carrying at their ends pressure-bars, substantially as described, of the supportinghook engaging one side of said loop and fastened to the other side of said loop, said hook carrying a second hook for supporting a second pants-supporter.

4. In a supporter of the class specified, the combination, with the central spring-loop, of a supporting-hook formed of the folded wire, one part of which is fastened to said springloop and the other part extends outwardly and upwardly to form a pants-supporter-carrying hook.

JUSTUS A. TRAUT.

\Y i tn esses:

FRANCIS II. RICHARDS, HENRY L. RECKARD. 

